two days before the eyes of the world are focused on him, today president obama sought to fix the country's collective gaze on martin luther king jr.'s legacy on this national day of service, sprucing up a washington elementary school with the first family, while the vice president and his family helped load goodies bound for fighting service members, veterans and first responders. >> i'm always reminded that he said, everybody wants to be first. everybody wants to about drum major, but if you're going to be a drum major, be a drum major for service, be a drum major for justice, be a drum major for looking out for other people. >> we want to help the unfortunate families. >> reporter: across the country, they did just that, lending helping hands in orlando, where volunteers built a garden. new york city at a habitat for humanity event, and chicago, writing letters and making care packages for troops overseas. >> let's remember what they've done for us. >> reporter: the president added service projects to his inaugural schedule in 2009 and the message appears well received. in 2011, 64.3 mil